STRONACH GROUP ACQUIRES FULL CONTROL OF MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB ASSETS AND OPERATIONS

Reaffirms Commitment to Maryland Horseracing

June 16, 2011 –The Stronach Group today announced that it has completed a binding agreement for the purchase of Penn National Gaming Inc.’s stake in the Maryland Jockey Club. Effective July 1, 2011, following completion of the MI Developments reorganization, the transaction will give The Stronach Group full ownership of the assets and operations of Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center.

Speaking on behalf of The Stronach Group, Belinda Stronach stated, “Today’s announcement is part of our ongoing commitment to the horseracing industry and to the State of Maryland. We are determined to work with industry and government officials across the state to further develop Maryland’s reputation as a premiere location for racing.”

Greg Avioli, President and CEO of The Stronach Group’s Gaming and Racing Division, added, “The tremendous support for last month’s Preakness, with more than 107,000 in attendance, demonstrates what a fantastic racing market Maryland can be when given a quality product. As we turn the page and begin a new chapter in Maryland racing, we are more committed than ever to do what it takes to return Maryland to its rightful place as one of the top racing and breeding states in the country.”

Pimlico Race Course, opened in 1870, is the country’s second oldest racetrack and serves as the annual host of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg in thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown and one of the premiere sporting events in the United States. Pimlico Race Course features a one-mile oval track, a 7/8-mile turf course and fixed seating for approximately 15,000 spectators. The 2011 Preakness drew more than 107,000 spectators to Pimlico, the largest annual sporting event audience in Maryland, and recorded the sixth-highest attendance in the history of the race. Laurel Park, the sister track to Pimlico, opened in 1911 and features a 1 1/8 mile oval track and a one mile turf course with fixed seating for approximately 5,000 spectators.

Comments Off on Stronach Group Takes Full Control of MJC, Pimlico, Laurel from Penn National

BALTIMORE — Following the Baltimore Ravens’ (8-4) loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium, I bumped into veteran FoxSports.com NFL writer Alex Marvez on our way to the losing and winning locker rooms respectively.

Marvez has seen plenty of rivalry games during his time covering the league, but stopped for a second and shook his head almost in disbelief.

I said back to him “of all of the losses to Pittsburgh…for some reason…this one feels like the worst.”

He nodded in agreement. I then added “this couldn’t happen.”

There’s still a part of me that believes that.

I understand the hangover feeling that will play out throughout Charm City this week. In fact, “hangover” might not be a good enough word to describe it. “Coma” might be a better choice. I understand that I might as well forget about the word “rational” for 72 hours or so. I understand that this city will not recover from this one quickly.

This one really COULDN’T have happened. Not like that.

This really does feel worse than any of the losses to Pittsburgh before.

It’s hard to compare to the 2009 AFC Championship Game because the stakes were much higher at Heinz Field that day. But even with the reality of a trip to the Super Bowl being only a late scoring drive away, that one didn’t feel quite so crushing.

Much like the Ravens’ earlier loss at Heinz Field that season (on Monday Night Football), there was a feeling of “we were probably just fortunate to be here.” The Ravens had a rookie head coach in John Harbaugh and a rookie starting quarterback in Joe Flacco, and it appeared as though the heartbreak would be lessened by the likelihood of multiple return trips to that level in the future.

More so, the Championship Game was a game that the Steelers thoroughly dominated. The Ravens hung around thanks to a couple of pass interference calls in the endzone, but it never felt like they truly deserved to win that day.

The 2008 loss at M&T Bank Stadium felt similar to the disaster Sunday night, as it was a game that the Ravens controlled throughout, but couldn’t put away. The loss hurt because it ended amidst the controversy of a Santonio Holmes TD catch

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because it’s time to name “The Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.”

As I posted on Facebook last night, the retro version of TGSOATTW is the song “Wounded” by Third Eye Blind. There will never be a day when the song won’t mean the world to me…

As far as the NEW version goes, I also showed my hand on Facebook last night. (A reminder that you can be my friend on Facebook by searching “Glenn Clark” and adding the goofy guy in the pink shirt who is dancing at a wedding.)

When we look back on 2010 in the future, there is no doubt in my mind that we will remember it as “The Year of Cee-Lo Green.” For as great as “F*** You” is, there’s something even more amazing about “Old Fashioned”…

On one side, I ABSOLUTELY think David Cordish will create a world-class facility. I think it will be outstanding both on the interior and the exterior; and I think it will attract money from both inside the Old Line State and from elsewhere. His track record makes me believe he’s going to do a hell of a job.

On the opposite side, I also think the vote is an unquestioned blow to the state of horse racing in Maryland-at least for the short term. Immediate slots revenue at Laurel might not have been the BEST solution for the future of the sport in the state, but it was probably the best option right now.

The issue now is all about what the Maryland Jockey Club and MI Developments do moving forward. They’ve stated that this will mark the end of live racing at Laurel Park, with Pimlico instead hosting 40 days of live racing in the Spring.

While that might be a necessary move, it clearly isn’t the best option for the sport. The MJC (and MID) will have to go back to the drawing board and consider other options. Is it time to shift focus to a new track? Is it time to explore options for slots in Baltimore? Is it time to think about how the facilities could be better used?

I do not believe this has to be the final nail in the coffin for the sport in the state. But I DO believe it has the potential to be if the folks involved aren’t willing to immediately change course.

I’ll say this much. If I was the GM of the Ravens, I’d pass on “Lights Out.” I think risking a roster spot in season on a guy whose career has been marked in recent years by injuries and ineffectiveness is a questionable judgment at best.

But I’m not saying that because I believe the team doesn’t have pass rush problems.

The team has MAJOR pass rush problems-there’s absolutely no question about that. I’m worried that there might not be an in season fix for the Ravens.

But I DON’T think the answer should include taking a risk on a player who is surrounded by more question marks than the book “Are You My Mother?”

Now-could Shawne Merriman end up in Charm City? Maybe. There’s almost no chance any NFL team claims him off waivers, so he’ll be available. If he passes a physical and is humble enough to understand that he isn’t the Pro Bowl player he was at the beginning of his career-maybe he’s a fit.

We knew this-but now we don’t even bother having to mention it anymore.

The Ravens aren’t interested in Randy Moss…even if they should be. To me, this is one of those “right player, wrong time” situations.

Randy Moss would be the PERFECT compliment to Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Donte’ Stallworth (I’ve never thought TJ Houshmandzadeh was a logical fit myself); but it’s not something that can be forced.

If the Ravens had an offseason to meet with Moss and discuss his role and what their expectations were for him-they might be in a place where they could feel more comfortable in adding him to the mix. But adding a player like that in the middle of the season is dangerous.

-A reminder that we will be out at 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills today, as the Ravens return to the practice field. John Harbaugh, Joe Flacco and others are scheduled to meet with the media following practice-you’ll hear from them throughout the day on AM1570 WNST and at WNST.net.

-Did you miss Greg Gumbel with Drew Forrester Wednesday on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? He’ll be at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday to call Ravens-Dolphins for CBS. Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out! Some other things you can hear in the Audio Vault today include…

Lomas Brown (ESPN)-who went around the NFL with Drew Wednesday

Craig Calcaterra (“HardballTalk”-NBCSports.com)-who wrapped up the MLB season with Drew Wednesday

I will admit that I’m surprised. I’m not stunned, but I’m surprised. I thought Juan Samuel made a statement about what he was going to do moving forward when Buck Showalter was hired-so I didn’t expect him to end up back in Orange and Black.

Of course, Samuel likely thought there was a chance he could end up filling one of the managerial vacancies around Major League Baseball. Clearly this news means that he’s not in the picture for the Pittsburgh Pirates job, and the Milwaukee Brewers decided to go elsewhere when they hired Ron Roenicke yesterday.

As it appears that he’s coming back, hopefully he’ll be able to make a contribution. Sadly, I don’t think that contribution will be 30 home runs.

The inappropriate joke of the day would be something along the lines of “Well-at least the Bison players didn’t have to hear any trash talk from the Terrapins at Comcast Center while they were losing…”

I wouldn’t say that though, because I’m not inappropriate.

Exhibit A: It would be inappropriate of me to NOT pass along this picture of Sofija Milosevic. (Thanks Totally Crap!)

And finally, I leave you with this.

This is the end of a real live Canadian Football League game. Honestly. I don’t understand any more than you do (Thanks Deadspin!)…

TJ Houshmandzadeh was plenty entertaining at 1 Winning Drive Tuesday-whether it was saying Cincinnati Bengals coaches were “nervous” before facing the Baltimore Ravens or saying his departure from Seattle had “nothing to do with football.” He was intelligent and engaging, and made a press conference interesting.

Unfortunately, an impressive press conference doesn’t count for any wins in the AFC North standings. What happens on the field will matter MUCH more than anything that happens in any press conference.

Unless of course something like one of these happens at a Ravens press conference this season. That WOULD be newsworthy…

If the Ravens don’t get Sergio Kindle back this season, the decision to trade Antwan Barnes to Philadelphia looks more and more foolish to me.

I have a bad feeling that pass rush will be an area of concern within a month or so of the start of the season. Bringing in Josh Wilson improves the secondary, but the secondary will only be as good as the pass rush will allow it to be.

Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce are the most important puzzle pieces, but the team will need to be able to get a rush from elsewhere. The number of injuries the team could help Paul Kruger or Edgar Jones be active against the Jets Monday night, and if so they’ll need to show some ability to get to the quarterback to stay active.

I just feel like it’s going to be a concern. Getting Kindle back between Week 6 and Week 9 could help that.

Jackson wouldn’t be a player they’d be looking at for the active roster (which could have something to do with why he didn’t join the team Tuesday), but instead to join the practice squad after Prince Miller signed with the New England Patriots.

-As you already know, Jaworski will be part of the broadcast team Monday; as he, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will have the call for ESPN from the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford.

-The Ravens return to the practice field today for a “bonus day” in Owings Mills. We’ll be out there live, and I’ll check back in with Thyrl Nelson at 12:30 on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to let you know what’s going on in Ravensland.

Look-you don’t have to even bother asking if I watched last night. I played in my weekly Tuesday night Kickball/Ultimate Frisbee showdown in Bel Air, then I came home to watch Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal in Flushing Meadows.

And since I haven’t been watching the games, I will admit that I’m always skeptical when I check back to see the scores. I mean, the O’s can’t REALLY be on the verge of a sweep in The Bronx, can they? They couldn’t REALLY have beaten CC Sabathia last night thanks in part to a Nolan Reimold homer, could they?

There’s so much evidence that it almost HAS to be true, but I’ll continue to admit that I’m skeptical. Can you blame me?

-Jake Arrieta went 6 and a third last night, allowing just 2 earned runs on 8 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 3.
-Not only did Reimold homer, but Ty Wigginton went 2-4 with a double, run scored and RBI; Nick Markakis went 2-4 with a run scored and RBI; and Brian Roberts went 2-5 with a run scored.

So-as has become a new custom around here-I encourage you to ABSOLUTELY go look at the numbers, but then come back to check out Jodi Gordon courtesy of The Beer Goggler via Busted Coverage…

-The Birds and Yanks wrap their 3 game series this week with a matinee showdown at Yankee Stadium. Brad Bergesen takes the hill against Ivan Nova, first pitch is on MASN at 1:05pm.

-Did you miss Bowie Baysox manager Brad Komminsk wrapping up the season with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today here at WNST.net to check it out. Some other things you can find in the Audio Vault include…

There’s no question that Debbie Yow left the Terrapins’ athletic program in very good shape-both on the field and economically.

That being said, the school would clearly like to see their “money” sports competing at a more consistent national level.

That’s where Kevin Anderson comes in.

There are two pieces in place now with Dr. Loh established as President and Anderson as Athletic Director.

Now everything shifts to the football program.

A win over Navy was nice, but Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin know exactly what they’re up against. The leadership of the school and the department will have to decide what they’re looking for, and whether the current head coach and/or the head coach in waiting can meet those expectations.

They might not be coaching for their jobs-but I don’t think it’s unfair to say they very well could be.

It’s a (semi) Happy Thursday for me, because the bad news is that Andy Roddick suffered his annual collapse last night at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows. My alcohol consumption during the match was at an all-time high. As soon as Tipsarevic went up 0-40 on A-Rod’s serve to close the 2nd I knew something bad was happening.

BUT…it isn’t all bad news. For example, if you happened to poke over to MASN2 last night, you might have seen something more awesome than even WWE can offer…

When the Orioles scored four runs in the first inning against Jon Lester, I thought to myself (and asked on via Twitter @WNST) if anyone had a weather report for hell. I was assuming freezing rain myself.

Sadly, Jon Lester turned back into Jon Lester at some point, and the Orioles bullpen that has been very good as of late turned back into the Orioles bullpen that wasn’t even a little bit good for stretches this season. Mark Hendrickson and Alfredo Simon were about as good as…Mark Hendrickson and Alfredo Simon.

(Edit from GMC: That’s not really fair. Mark Hendrickson was good for the vast majority of the season. But that doesn’t really help my point, so I won’t mention it.)

Remember August? August was really good for the Orioles. Maybe if we can find a Hot Tub Time Machine we could go back to then…

And for some reason, Reimold was in the lineup last night facing Jon Lester. Luke Scott was not.

(Edit from GMC: I know there was a “reason”. Spare me.)

Word is that Chris Tillman, Rick VandenHurk and Troy Patton are going to follow this group. If this doesn’t sell tickets for Sunday afternoon against the Rays, I’m not sure what will. In fact, I’m pretty sure Rick VandenHurk bobblehead night will be September 15th.

It will be good to see these guys on the field a little bit for the next few weeks, at least for as much as I’ll actually be watching. My guess is that I won’t really be watching that much. I’ve got tennis for the next 10 days and college football starts tonight. You really think I’m going to bother with baseball?

I don’t think “almost” is an appropriate term here. I think the more appropriate term is “sorta.”

The fact is, the Orioles are 34 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. They’re not even in the REALM of “almost.”

But there are some things about this September that make it “sorta” meaningful. Extending a good month into a strong close to the season helps in changing the culture in Charm City. Having a good month and then tanking again anyway makes fans think to themselves “same old Orioles.”

It’s “sorta” meaningful. The games are completely irrelevant in terms of baseball, but the end of the season could help in trying to cultivate a dead baseball environment in this area.

To REALLY change the baseball environment in this town, a team would have to win THROUGHOUT the season. Not just for a month-or even two.

-The Birds and BoSox wrap their 3 game series with a rubber match tonight at OPACY. Brad Bergesen faces Daisuke Matsuzaka, first pitch is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Adam Jones was forced to leave last night’s game with back pain still stemming from being hit by a Gavin Floyd pitch last week. It still doesn’t appear to be a long-term concern, but it’s still an issue a week removed.

-Multiple reports (including MLB.com) say David Hernandez is about a week or so away from returning. That’s good news. But you already knew that.

And if he hadn’t ended up on IR, the practice squad would have been the other possible destination for McLaughlin. He was an undrafted LB out of Boston College who the Ravens decided to move to FB-which he hadn’t played since high school. He was AT BEST a longshot to make the roster, but will buy himself some time to continue developing over the next year now that he’s on IR.

Of course, if the Ravens were going to make room on the roster for someone-I sorta wish it had been Izabel Goulart. Thanks, Guyism!

I will admit that I’d still be a bit surprised just to see Demetrius Willliams on the field tonight. I know he returned to practice this week and is sort of a “bubble” guy, but it looks more and more like he almost HAS to make the roster-and there doesn’t seem to be anything smart about playing a roster guy with a bad ankle on a terrible carpet.

Prince Miller’s road to the roster got much longer when the Ravens acquired Josh Wilson. Not only does Wilson give the Ravens necessary depth at CB, but he could free up Chris Carr to return punts. Miller will get the chance tonight, but Carr could very well end up being the guy in the regular season. Reed could be in trouble as well-as it looks like he’s behind both Williams and Marcus Smith on the depth chart.

And you will see PLENTY of the former Heisman Trophy winner tonight. As I’ve said throughout the week on AM1570, expect 4 quarters of Smith tonight-similar to how John Beck went 4 quarters against the Atlanta Falcons last year.

Before we move on from the Ravens, a few things…

-The Ravens and St. Louis Rams get together at Edward Jones Dome tonight. Kickoff is at 8pm and the game can be seen live on WBAL11 locally. I’ll be joining Thyrl Nelson at 12:30 pm on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to preview the game.

-Did you miss Rams color analyst (and former Super Bowl champion) D’Marco Farr with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out. Some other stuff you can hear in the Audio Vault includes…

Brian Billick (Former Ravens coach and WNST part owner)-who joined Drew this morning to discuss his “man crush” on Aaron Rodgers (didn’t he have a man crush on another QB from Cal?) and all things NFL

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because…well it just is, damnit. And oh yeah, it’s time for me to name this week’s “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.”

The NEW version this week goes to Gyptian for the song “Hold Yuh.” Apparently the song’s been around for a few months, so I found out via Facebook that I’m not that hip. Like I didn’t know that before…

The RETRO “Greatest Song of All Time This Week” is Counting Crows’ “American Girls.” What an underrated freaking song…

Look, Josh Wilson is NOT going to be confused for Chris McAlister (at least not Chris McAlister in his prime) at any point. But Josh Wilson has started 24 of the last 28 games in the Emerald City, and has pulled down six interceptions over the last two years.

This acquisition does a number of things for the Ravens. My guess is that the departure of Travis Fisher will come soon after. I had thought Fisher would hold a roster spot until Cary Williams was ready to return, but they don’t have to just keep him on the roster for the sake of keeping him anymore. They could still end up keeping him to have a fourth healthy corner Week 1 when the Ravens face the New York Jets, but if Lardarius Webb is ready to go they’ll already have four.

The move also frees the Ravens to consider allowing Chris Carr to return punts again. Carr was solid in the role a season ago, and is a better option right now than a banged up Mark Clayton or banged up Tom Zbikowski-who is expected to start if Ed Reed isn’t ready to go. If Carr returns punts, there would be less of a need to use a roster spot on Prince Miller-who could probably survive being exposed and end up on the practice squad.

With all of that being said, Josh Wilson is 5’9″ and is NOT a “shutdown” corner. He’s also in the final year of his contract-and given the market for decent corners, he can probably command a decent amount of money.

However, he’s been very solid in recent years and looks like he can help this team in multiple ways. I am in no ways an “everything Ozzie Newsome does is perfect” type of person, but this move looks to be very good-right in the mold of other solid moves made by the organization.

These were both expected moves as neither player had been able to do much of anything football-wise either at Training Camp in Westminster or in Owings Mills. With the team needing to get down to 75 active players, these two were totally logical choices.

You know what else is a totally logical choice? Posting this picture of Peaches Geldof, who has to be making her father (yes, the great Bob Geldof) proud. Thanks, The Grumpiest!

Go ahead and make your own comment about how much weight “Mount Cody”‘s knees have to hold up. That’s fine. It’s totally legitimate.

There is a real concern as to whether or not Cody will be dealing with knee issues for the rest of the year or even the rest of his career. He’s quite obviously a large man, and that’s a lot of pressure to put on that part of your body.

It’s unfortunate that the Ravens will likely be without Cody for the visit to the Meadowlands. Cody struggled in Training Camp at McDaniel College, but really seemed to turn something on under the lights when the Ravens faced the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins in the preseason. He looks like a player who is just better in games.

Without Cody, the Ravens will have to rely on whoever makes the team from Brandon McKinney, Kelly Talavou, Arthur Jones and Lamar Divens behind Kelly Gregg. In my most recent “Mocking the 53” update, I had McKinney and Talavou on the good side of the bubble. It’s totally possible the team will decide to keep another D-Lineman given the injury concerns with a guy like Cody.

-The Ravens are holding a walkthrough today before tomorrow night’s trip to St. Louis to face the Rams. The walkthrough will be closed to the media, but I will still join Thyrl Nelson at 12:50 on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to preview tomorrow night’s game.

-We found out more and more yesterday just how many vets won’t take the field at Edward Jones Dome. Clearly there will be no Joe Flacco, and don’t expect to see Marc Bulger either. Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Todd Heap, Michael Oher, Matt Birk, Marshal Yanda, Ben Grubbs, Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson, Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain are all guys I wouldn’t expect to see either. Probably even more than that.

I know the BoSox have just about given up at this point late in the season, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have real players in their lineup.

Matusz has been good recently no matter who the opposition was.

If this is shaping up for Matusz to become the STELLAR young starting pitcher so many folks were hoping he would, the O’s will be in a much better place as an organization.

But with that being said, they still need to go get a real front of the rotation-type starter this offseason to match Matusz and Jeremy Guthrie. If Andy MacPhail does that, everything changes in Charm City.

Luke Scott added his 26th home run of the season (as well as a 2nd RBI and a 2nd run scored) and Felix Pie hit his 5th home run as well. Nick Markakis crushed his 40th double of the season (giving him four 40 double seasons for his career) and Brian Roberts went 2-4 and scored a run as well.

The numbers are good. Go look at them. When you get back, Nina Senicar will be waiting for you with a photo from GQ in Italy. Thanks, Guyism!

It is also widely speculated that Chris Tillman will be part up callups, we’ll get back to him shortly.

After struggling for the better part of the season, it is good to see that Brandon Snyder is going to get a shot at the Major League Level. By no means do I believe he should be penciled in to play 1B next season, but it will be interesting to see what he has to offer.

I have a nightmare that keeps playing out in my head. The nightmare is that the Orioles report to Sarasota for Spring Training with the plan to platoon Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold in LF.

-The O’s are back in action tonight against the Sawx, with Jon Lester facing Jake Arrieta. First pitch at OPACY is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Did you miss Bowie Baysox pitcher Eddie Gamboa this morning with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net to check it out. Some other things you can find in the Audio Vault include…

Nick Ferrara did a good job punting for the Terps when Travis Baltz was hurt last year.

With that said, I have NO interest in seeing Travis Baltz try to kick field goals for the Terrapins this year.

I however DO have an interest in seeing as much of Phuong Nguyen as possible. Thanks, The Smoking Jacket!

And finally, I leave you with this.

I’m headed to Timonium Friday for the Maryland State Fair, but before that I made a pit stop this weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival down in Annapolis…or Crownsville…or whatever the hell that town is called. It was AWESOME.

Which wouldn’t surprise you at all if you had checked out my “Mocking The 53” post Tuesday here at WNST.net. I took Brendon Ayanbadejo and Matt Lawrence out of the equation to make the roster, as I expected both to end up either on PUP or off the roster.

I don’t have anything definitive yet on Lawrence, but it remains a safe assumption.

The hope now is that Ayanbadejo can return to play sometime after the first 6 weeks. I’m still not totally convinced of that either, and wouldn’t be stunned if at some point the team was forced to come to an injury settlement with the LB/Special Teams whiz.

Special Teams will be where someone earns a roster spot with Ayanbadejo missing. Jason Phillips’ chances grow significantly; but David Reed, Edgar Jones, Davon Drew, Prescott Burgess, Prince Miller, KJ Gerard and Demetrius Williams could also stand to benefit by separating their special teams abilities.

Defensively, the Ravens will be without a player who had really settled in as a nickel LB and was very good at playing the pass. If you watched Donovan McNabb and Santana Moss Saturday night when the Ravens faced the Washington Redskins; you’d understand why that’s significant.

And as I mentioned during one of our Ravens reports yesterday, there is no question that a man of Mount Cody’s size would be putting a significant amount of pressure on his knees.

The good news is that it isn’t necessarily structural damage (John Harbaugh pointed out there was a small cartilage issue) and Cody already told us he didn’t expect to miss a game because of the injury.

The bad news is that it is totally possible that the swelling and amount of pain COULD continue for Terrence as the season goes on.

It’s a little concerning, but certainly not frightening. You know what’s frightening? The look on Ray Lewis’ face in this ESPN The Magazine “Faces of the Game” photo…

-The Ravens return to the practice field at 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills today, with coordinators Cam Cameron, Greg Mattison and Jerry Rosburg scheduled to meet with the media. We will have coverage throughout the day on Twitter (@WNST), right here at WNST.net and with Ravens Reports at 12:30 (with Thyrl Nelson) and 4:30 (with Rex Snider) on AM1570 WNST.

-Did you miss Tavares Gooden’s OUTSTANDING chat with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out. Other things you can find in the Audio Vault include…

Jason La Canfora (NFL Network)-who went around the league with Drew this morning

Andy Behrens (Yahoo! Sports)-who got Drew and I ready for our own Fantasy Football Drafts this morning

Our Morning Reaction “Cheap Shots From The Bleachers”-as I took a shot at the new Bud Selig statue in Milwaukee and Drew took a shot at the Dave Trembley interview in The Sun this morning

I’d love to sit here and tell you that I was gripped to MASN2 to watch every pitch from the South Side last night, but I wasn’t.

Of course, during the pitches I was poking my head at on the screen in the corner of my eye-I was impressed. Maybe I should have been gripped to the TV.

Former WNST producer Chris Bonetti once printed out a Tweet from Ken Rosenthal (of FOX Sports fame) that still hangs on our bulletin board. It reads…
“A scout who caught his first look at Orioles LHP Brian Matusz: ‘I would trade virtually any guy on our staff for him. Boy, is he good.”

Incredibly, you actually DO want to look at these numbers. Matusz went 7 innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 5.

Besides B-Rob’s homer, Matt Wieters went 2-3 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored; and Felix Pie went 2-3 with a run scored.

Good things all around.

Of course, I can’t allow my system to be ruined-so go check out the numbers and then come right back to check out Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete, who apparently won the Miss Universe pageant. I say “apparently” because there’s no chance in all hell I actually watched the thing. (Thanks Guyism!)

I just want Felix Pie to keep playing well. If stealing signs is somehow part of that, STEAL AWAY!!!

Obviously I’m just saying that-but in reality I’d take just about anything for Felix Pie to consistently play well. Whether it’s Buck Showalter, sign stealing, steroids or a deal with Rumpelstiltskin like in Shrek Forever After; just do it.

And maybe do it at the beginning of the season when the games still count…if it isn’t asking for too much.

-Adam Jones was held out of last night’s game after being hit by a Gavin Floyd pitch Tuesday night. He’s not expected to miss an extended period of time.

-After a rehab stint in Bowie, pitcher Jim Johnson is expected to rejoin the O’s this weekend when they face the Angels in Los Angeles or Anaheim or Rancho Cucamonga or wherever the hell they play.

-He told me he was going to wait until after the season to talk, but Dave Trembley talked to The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec this morning. Nothing earth shattering, but might be worth the read. I’m sure he’ll talk to us soon…

-The O’s and White Sox play the rubber game of their weekday series tonight in The Windy City; Jake Arrieta faces Edwin Jackson. First pitch is at 8:10pm and the game can be seen on MASN2.

With Will Yeatman and Lansford Watson already hurt this preseason, this is troubling news for Ralph Friedgen’s team.

Of course, it ISN’T necessarily troubling news for Perry Hall High School alums like Glenn Clark, as this could very well pave the way for former Gators TE David Stinebaugh to see the field on Labor Day against Navy at M&T Bank Stadium.

Matt Furstenburg remains ahead of him, and Patrick would point out that walk-on Ryan Schlothauer is probably ahead of him as well-but I don’t care. If Stinebaugh somehow manages to catch a TD in Baltimore, I’m going to get kicked out of the press box for yelling GAAAATOOORRRSSSS!!!!! at the top of my lungs.

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because I’ve been waiting days to name our “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.” They couldn’t be more different. The NEW version of the “Greatest Song of All Time This Week” is a song that has been popularly passed around on Facebook (add me as a friend by searching “Glenn Clark” and click on the guy drinking Orange Kool-Aid because he lost a Buck Showalter-related bet to Ed in Park Heights), and is so good I might have to stop this segment altogether.

Note: Cee-Lo uses a LOT of naughty language in this song. It is VERY NSFW! Unless of course you work somewhere like the Gold Club. In which case, you should really stop by the studio when you get the chance…

Now for something COMPLETELY different. The CLASSIC “Greatest Song of All Time This Week” is a song I once sang on my knees to a young lady in Mexico, I once sang to a dude for free drinks at The Big Bang in Tempe, Arizona and I most recently sang in barbershop quartet form this weekend at a shindig in Towson. If you don’t like the Righteous Brothers (or at least Top Gun), there’s really something wrong with you…

Don’t bother with the “wouldn’t the Ravens have to give him a contract?” comments. The Ravens have ALWAYS planned on giving their 2nd round pick out of Texas a contract. Once he’s been cleared by the doctors that will look at him in Baltimore, the Ravens can move forward with the process of getting a contract done and getting him to Owings Mills.

Kindle will start the season on PUP, but if he were to be able to return by Week 7 it could be a great benefit to this football team. While Antwan Barnes has had a decent preseason, the team could use as much help as they could get from outside backers and in the pass rush area in general.

Kindle would be unable to practice-but could greatly benefit from classroom hours and team meetings after having missed Training Camp. Once activated, he would likely be a scratch the first few weeks as he gets back on the practice field. If at that point he could back on the football field and make some level of impact-that’s a help.

It isn’t a “bonus” necessarily, as NFL teams always expect 2nd round picks to make an impact. But it is MUCH better than what could have been after Kindle was hurt in an accident at a friend’s house in Austin.

I say “if” in all of this, as I also wouldn’t be completely surprised if it didn’t work out the way John Harbaugh and company are hoping it will.

The frustrating part here is that we even have to address this. It is typically Baltimore to wonder about the other quarterbacks on the roster, as there is a history of having quarterbacks of similar value stacked up. The difference between Kyle Boller and Chris Redman or Elvis Grbac and Randall Cunningham or Scott Mitchell and Tony Banks was just never that great.

I understand this city’s obsession with backup QB’s.

But it’s time to stop.

Hell, it’s long PAST time to stop.

The Ravens have a quarterback. He’s THE guy. He’s the FRANCHISE quarterback. He’s the only quarterback that gives them a chance (if he can improve to “elite” status this season) to win a Super Bowl.

Don’t worry about what other QB’s do against backups in preseason games. It’s completely irrelevant. In fact, don’t worry that there’s even a backup QB on the roster unless (knock on wood) Joe Flacco were to get hurt.

-The Ravens are back on the practice field today at 1 Winning Drive, and John Harbaugh will speak to the media at 11:30(ish). Make sure you follow us on Twitter (@WNST), and listen to Thyrl Nelson and Rex Snider throughout the day as we keep you updated LIVE with everything happening in Owings Mills.

-A number of Ravens were not present during the portion of practice open to the media yesterday, including Terrence Cody and Cory Redding-who are not known to be hurt. Hopefully we’ll get some clarification on that today.

-The Ravens will hold their annual Countdown to Kickoff Barbecue tonight at M&T Bank Stadium; and Team President Dick Cass will hold a press conference at 7pm to announce a new fight song for the team-which is expected to be to the tune of the old Baltimore Colts fight song.

And with that, the O’s have officially clinched their 13th straight losing season! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Traditionally, the gift to give on the 13th anniversary is lace. The modern gift to give on the 13th anniversary is textiles or furs. In this case, I’m thinking THIS is a more appropriate gift…

Last night’s game was actually fairly entertaining to watch. Felix Pie and Ty Wigginton made some spectacular defensive plays, and the Birds actually put together a decent 9th inning rally before falling short at the end.

But being excited about a loss is usually only something that happens when you’re watching a team that is mired in a 13th straight losing season.

The good news? Luke Scott crushed a BOMB-his 25th of the season; and Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis collected 2 hits and 1 RBI apiece.

The bad news? Over 6.2 innings, Jeremy Guthrie gave up 6 earned runs on 10 hits; walking 2 and striking out 3.

You know you don’t want to look at these numbers. Instead, look at Erica Fabjan and Simona Fabjan-courtesy of Don Chavez. They’re from Slovenia and they play volleyball. What else do you need to know???

-The Birds and White Sox get together again tonight in the Windy City, with Brian Matusz facing Mark Buehrle. First pitch is at 8:10pm and the game can be seen on MASN2.

-Did you miss Baysox pitcher Richard Zagone with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today at WNST.net to check it out. Other things you can hear in the Audio Vault include…

Dannell Ellerbe (Ravens LB)-who woke up early to chat with Drew this morning

And in fairness, not much of anyone really thinks Ralph Friedgen’s team is going to find their way to the postseason this year. Of course, one win over the Midshipmen could change a lot of that. Maybe.

Navy is tied in to a trip to San Diego unless they somehow run the table and get themselves in the BCS picture. It’s not impossible either. The tough games on their schedule are Notre Dame (in East Rutherford), Wake Forest, Duke and Maryland. There isn’t an impossible game to win in the mix.

Now-Navy is also a team that has lost some inexplicable games in past years. A loss to Delaware comes to mind-but that was a Delaware team that had a pretty decent quarterback. Fella with eyebrows if I remember right…

It’s a Happy Thursday for me because Deadspin introduced me to what is unquestionably the greatest sport ever created by human beings or any other species throughout history. It’s called the “Fight Football League” and it is some sort of combination of football, rugby and Mixed Martial Arts…

Here’s actual footage of a match as well…

Apparently the sport only exists in Italy, which only goes to prove BASICALLY what we knew all along…Italians are better than everyone. Go ahead and call us “divers” again there Drew Forrester.

I would take this time to warn that this ISN’T Matt Wieters. Machado is coming out of high school in Miami-and no matter how many people compare him to A-Rod, it’s going to take some time. Wieters was coming out of college, and didn’t have as much to prove at Bowie and Norfolk. Machado is going to have to start in the Gulf Coast League, and probably has a LOT of A ball ahead of him in the next year or 2…or 3…or 4.

Just ask Billy Rowell. But we’ll get back to him.

I’d also like to take this to warn that no matter how nice it is described by Don Chavez, the Mila Kunis-Natalie Portman kissing scene PROBABLY won’t be enough to make you want to go see the movie Black Swan-even if it was made by the same guy who made “The Wrestler”. I’m just being honest…

If the organization does NOT go get real Major League Baseball players to improve the roster this offseason, nothing is going to change. Even with Buck Showalter as manager, a bad team will lose…like how they’ve lost 2 of 3 to the lowly Mariners this week at home.

If they go get real players AND continue to develop their own (not one OR the other), they’ll have a chance to improve. Even in the mighty AL East. That’s not Glenn Clark saying that, that’s a should-be Hall of Fame pitcher saying that.

-The Orioles open up a 4 game series with the Texas Rangers tonight at OPACY; first pitch between Brian Matusz and Colby Lewis is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Reliever Jim Johnson is slated to make a rehab appearance for the Frederick Keys starting tonight. I’m not sure what Jim Johnson’s role will be with this team moving forward-but it will be good to at least have him in the mix.

I’ll take John Harbaugh at his word, but I think this could remain an issue. The bigger issue is that with Jared Gaither, Tony Moll and Cousins all banged up-the team could be left needing Ramon Harewood to play the great majority of the game Saturday night at FedEx Field.

I KNOW the team wants to leave Marshal Yanda at RG and use Chris Chester as a reserve interior lineman-but I get the feeling they have to at least CONSIDER switching Yanda outside for the good of the entire unit at this point.

Hopefully Gaither and Cousins are both ready to go on September 13 against the New York Jets, but I’m not convinced both will be just yet.

In all honesty, it would make a WORLD of difference for the Baltimore Ravens if Lardarius Webb were to begin practicing soon-as it would significantly improve his chances of being on the field in East Rutherford for the Monday Night Football opener.

No matter when Lardarius Webb is activated, I don’t necessarily expect to see him on the field next week against the New York Giants or on the field in two weeks against the St. Louis Rams. That being said, none of that matters.

All that matters is whether or not he can see the field at the Meadowlands. If he can, it helps everything about this team…but you already know that.

You also probably already know that Sheridyn Fisher is a LOVELY gal. (Thanks The Smoking Jacket!)

-Your LAST chance to view Ravens practice this year is THIS AFTERNOON at 2:45pm. Practice will be closed to the public tomorrow, and the heads back to Owings Mills next week. If you had wanted to get out for Camp, make sure you do it THIS AFTERNOON. Luke Jones is on the scene, he’ll be checking in with Thyrl Nelson and Rex Snider throughout the day.

-Rookie DT Arthur Jones announced on Twitter that he was fined $5,000 for an illegal block during the Carolina Panthers game last Thursday. If I ever Tweet about a $5,000 fine-you can be sure that I’m doing it bankrupt. (You can follow US on Twitter @WNST.)

-Did you miss Ravens Safety/potential punt returner Tom Zbikowski with Thyrl Nelson yesterday on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” here on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out! Some other things you can check out in the Audio Vault include:

Audio from Training Camp Wednesday-including John Harbaugh and WR David Reed

And for more on the hiring of Wallace D. Loh and ALL things Maryland-related, make sure you check out this week’s edition of the “D1scast” with myself and Patrick Stevens. You can hear it in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today, and it’s worth checking out.

And while we’re on the topic of Maryland, Patrick also recently passed along that Gary Williams’ basketball team would be facing North Florida December 29 at 8pm at Comcast Center. So…you know…go ahead and cancel your New Year’s Eve trip plans. You can’t miss that!

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because I have some new rules to unleash for “The Greatest Song of All Time This Week.” Previously, I handed just one honor out per week-but I’m going to mix that up. I will now be handing out both “New” and “Classic” versions of the honor.

If you’re friends with me on Facebook (feel free to search “Glenn Clark” and add the man who is sipping Orange Kool-Aid after losing a bet to Ed in Park Heights), you know that this week’s “Classic” version (the rule is that the song must be at least 5 years old) is “Out of My Head” by Fastball…

This week’s new version of “The Greatest Song of All Time This Week” isn’t really even a song I like that much. Honest to God. Frankly, I find “The Boys of Fall” by Kenny Chesney to be a particularly insufferable song musically. BUT-the speech from New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton at the front of the video is so freaking epic that I’m going to give it the honor anyway.

Yeah, but how are you expected to get anything going against a Cy Young Award candidate like Jeanmar Gomez Luke French?!?!? The Buck Showalter era has been very good in Charm City, but there have still been a few puzzling pitchers to shut the O’s down.

What’s weirder? The fact that the Birds were able to muster just 3 hits against some fella named Luke French or the fact that Josh Bell had two of them?

It all wasted the best start made by Kevin Millwood arguably all season. He gave up just 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 and 2/3 innings, allowing just one run to cross the plate. Armando Gabino sadly wasn’t quite as effective.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had to remind everyone of this-but after the Birds have lost 3 of 4 for the first time under Showalter; I think it’s important.

Rough night for Ty Wigginton-who went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and left 3 men on base. Of course, it was a rough night for just about anyone else who was wearing orange and black too.

In one of those “at least it’s familiar” feelings; you REALLY don’t want to look at these numbers. Trust me. Instead, check out something else baseball-related. Sara Saco-Vertiz is the gall that got hit by a foul ball recently at a Houston Astros game down at Minute Maid Park when her boyfriend “Bo the Bailer” jumped out of the way. She’s also a very pleasant distraction from what happened in the Orioles game last night. (Thanks H8TORADE!)

This is the unfortunate part about the reasonable success the Orioles have had recently. As solid as they’ve been, it just doesn’t REALLY matter.

The fact remains that it is MUCH nicer for us as fans to watch the team win a few games at the end of the season than to continue to lose games at a historic rate. I’m not trying to take away from the value of that, as it bothers me to watch losing as much if not more than anyone.

But this season has been over for some time. There was nothing to tangibly gain from a strong (or even semi-strong) finish to the season.

If the Orioles don’t make significant roster upgrades during the offseason and field a legitimate team come Opening Day; they’ll lose games in April and May of 2011 under ANY manager. Even Buck Showalter.

Wins this season are like “warm fuzzies.” They’re nice to have around, but they don’t actually help with anything. When you’re cold, you need a blanket-not something the size of pocket lint.

The Orioles don’t need warm fuzzies. They need a massive overhaul. It has started with the manager. Now they need more.

-The O’s and M’s wrap up their 3 game set tonight at OPACY. First pitch between Jeremy Guthrie and David Pauley is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Did you miss Xavier Avery this morning with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out. Other things you can hear in the Audio Vault include…

When it comes to Birk and McKinney, my initial thought is “I bet they’ll be plenty healthy when the team is in Owings Mills next week.”

I’m not quite as laid back about David Hale; as the team doesn’t really have much interior line depth. Birk, Ben Grubbs, Marshal Yanda and Chris Chester are there to handle the Top 4 spots; but the team clearly doesn’t want to have to use Chester as the reserve center.

Now-they could be more flexible if they had better tackle depth. Should they be able to start Gaither and Michael Oher with Cousins behind them; it COULD allow Tony Moll to play guard and have the team use Chester in a pinch as a reserve center.

The thing is-they need these guys to be healthy to do ANY of that. That’s an issue as of right now.

-I have no idea what to make of the JACK LB battle. The job appeared to be Jameel McClain’s to lose, but both Gooden and Dannell Ellerbe have gotten their chances to run with the 1’s after McClain started against the Carolina Panthers. At this point, I’ll still leaning towards McClain-but it will be interesting to see who works with the first unit at FedEx Field Saturday night.

-A reminder that the Ravens hit the practice field today-if you missed the 8:45am practice, you missed it. There’s a special teams practice at 2pm today. Today and tomorrow are the LAST TWO DAYS that you can see the Ravens practice in person at McDaniel College; as they are closed to the public Friday before Saturday’s preseason showdown with the Washington Redskins.

This is a tough break for the senior; who was expected to play an important role in a surprisingly deep group of receivers.

Congratulations also to Terrapins LB’s Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten; who were both named to the Butkus Award Watch List; and to Terps WR/KR Torrey Smith, who was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List-given to the nation’s most versatile player.

And if Maryland needs some depth at WR with Lee-Odai out, may I suggest Ann French? (Thanks The Smoking Jacket!)

We could debate the names that AREN’T part of that list (Cal Ripken, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Chuck Thompson, Jonathan Ogden, etc.); but that isn’t the point of this really. They’re going to have years to get all of these guys in this group, and this first group of 6 is absolutely outstanding.

The real question is…which year will it be when we see “Nasty” Nestor Aparicio inducted?

I’m sure it has to be soon, right?

And finally, I leave you with this.

The young lady in my life (whatever that means) is a Dallas Cowboys fan. I’m not proud, trust me. We call her “Boomer Sooner” around here. I hope I NEVER hear her singing this song. (Thanks Deadspin!)